• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.20 no.10
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• pp.3293-3303
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• 1996

Numerical analyses have been performed to estimate the absorption heat and mass transfer coefficients in absorption process of the LiBr aqueous solution and the total heat and mass transfer rates in a vertical tube absorber which is coolING ed by air. Axisymmetric cylindrical coordinate system was adopted to model the circular tube and the transport equations were solved by the finite volume method. Absorption behaviors of heat and mass transfer were analyzed through falling film of the LiBr aqueous solution contacted by water vapor in tube. Effects of film Reynolds number on heat and mass transfer coefficients have been also investigated. Especially, effects of tube diameter have been considered to observe the total heat and mass transfer rates through falling film along the tube. Based on the analysis it has been found that the total mass transfer rate increases rapidly in a region with low film Reynolds number(10 ~ 40) as the film Reynolds number increases, while decreases beyond that region. The total heat and mass transfer rates increase with increasing the tube diameter.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.257-264
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• 1993

This is the second report of a three part study on the absorption and heat transfer characteristics of absorber, the correlation of refrigerating capacity and heating capacity. The 2nd report deals with the heat transfer characteristics of a vertical falling film type absorber of inner copper tube. The solute is LiBr-Water solution(60wt%) and the solvent is water vapor. The film Reynoles numbers are varied in the range of 35~130. The states of LiBr solution at the top of absorber are supercooled liquid and superheated liquid. The results are summarized as follows ; Heat transfer results reveal that for the absorption of falling film, the state of LiBr solution appears to be influential in determining the heat transfer. Thus, for the state of supercooled liquid, heat transfer coefficient decreases with increasing the film Reynolds number, but in the condition of superheated liquid, it increases conversely. The mass transfer coefficients that were presented in the 1st.report and heat transfer coefficients of this paper are presented as the dimensionless correlation. The optimum water flowrate which brings about maximum value of heat flux in the film exists, and that increases with increasing the cooling water temperature.

• International Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.51-59
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• 2000

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the absorbing characteristics in a vertical falling film type absorber using LiBr-H$H_2O$ solution as working fluids with the concentration of 60 wt%. The experimental apparatus consists of an absorber with the diameter of 17.2 mm and the length of 1150 mm, a generator, an evaporator (condenser), a weak solution tank and a sampling trap device and so on. The parameters were the solution temperatures of 45 and 50$^{\circ}$C, coolant temperatures of 30 and 35$^{\circ}$C, and the film Reynolds numbers from 50 to 150. The pressure drop in the absorber increased as the solution and coolant temperatures decreased. The pressure drop in the absorber increased up to the film Reynolds number of 90, however, decreased at the film Reynolds number above 90. The maximum absorption mass flux was observed at the film Reynolds number of 90. Absorption mass fluxes increased as the coolant temperature decreased. Accordingly, absorption mass fluxes and heat transfer coefficients under the subcooled condition increased more than those under the superheated condition. It is claimed that heat transfer coefficients are deeply affected by the solution temperature more than the coolant temperature within the experimental range.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.453-462
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• 1994

An unsteady quasi one-dimensional model of momentum, heat and mass transfer in a falling film of a vertical plate absorber which is cooled by air was developed using the integral method. Energy conservation of the absorber wall is considered in the model. The model can predict absorption rate, film thickness and mean velocity as well as concentration and temperature profiles. Predictions of steady state temperature and concentration profiles for LiBr/water system for constant wall temperature condition are in good agreement with the two-dimensional finite difference method solutions. Effects of operating conditions, such as convective heat transfer coefficient between the cooling air and the absorber wall, cooling air temperature and film thickness at inlet, on absorption rate of water vapor into LiBr/water solution were shown.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.17 no.9
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• pp.830-838
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• 2005

The present study investigated the optimization of the absorption performance of the vertical absorber tube with falling film by considering heat and mass transfer simultaneously. Effects of film Reynolds number, geometric parameters by insert device (spring) and flow pattern on heat and mass transfer performances have been also investigated. Especially, effects of coolant flow rate and the flow pattern by geometric parameters has been observed for the total heat and mass transfer rates through both numerical and experimental studies. Based on both predicted values, the optimal coolant flow rate was predicted as 1.98 L/min. The maximum absorption rate of the spring inserted tube was increased by the maximum of $20.0\%$ than those for uniform film of bare tube. Average Sherwood numbers and Nusselt numbers were increased as Reynolds numbers increased under the dynamic and geometric conditions showing the maximum absorption performance.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.13 no.12
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• pp.1214-1222
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• 2001

The present study investigated the effect of diameter and length on the absorption performance of a vertical falling film type absorber using $LiBr-H_2$O solution of 60 wt%. The parameters were diameter of absorber (17.2, 23.4, 31.1 mm), length of absorber (771, 1150, 1528 mm), and film Reynolds numbers (50, 70, 90, 110, 130, 150). As the diameter of the absorber was increased, the absorption mass flux, Sherwood number, heat flux, and heat transfer coefficient were increased, in which Sherwood number and heat transfer coefficient were increased up to 13% and 30% respectively. As the length of the absorber was increased, the total absorption rate and heat transfer coefficient were increased by 37% and 35% respectively, while the absorption mass flux was decreased.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.835-845
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• 1999

The objective of the present study was to investigate heat and mass transfer characteristics in a vertical falling film type absorber using LiBr-$H_2O$ solution with 6owt%. The experimental apparatus consisted of an absorber with inner diameter of 17.2 mm and length of 1150mm, a generator, an evaporator/condenser, a solution tank, a sampling trap etc. The parameters were solution temperature of 45 and $50^{\circ}C$, coolant temperature of 30 and $35^{\circ}C$, and film Reynolds numbers from 50 to 150. Pressure drop in the absorber increased as solution and coolant temperatures decreased. Pressure drop in the absorber increased up to the film Reynolds number of 90, and then decreased at the further increase of the Reynolds number above 90. The maximum absorption mass flux observed at the film Reynolds number of 90. Absorption mass flukes increased as coolant temperature decreased. Absorption mass fluxes and heat transfer coefficients under subcooled condition were larger than those under superheated condition. Heat transfer coefficients were affected by solution temperature more than coolant temperature. The maximum absorption effectiveness under the subcooled condition was 23% for coolant temperature of $30^{\circ}C$ and 31% for coolant temperature of $35^{\circ}C$ under the present experimental conditions.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.19-24
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• 2003

The objectives of this paper are to develop a new method of wettability mea-surement and to study the effect of surface roughness on the wettability in a $H_2O$/LiBr falling film absorber. Two absorber tubes with micro-scale roughness and a bare tube are tested in a falling film absorber installed in a test rig. Inlet solution temperature, concentration and mass flow rate are considered as key parameters. A new method is proposed to estimate the wettability of a tube by measuring a minimum mass flow rate to wet the tube completely. The wettability for the structured surfaces was higher than that for the bare tube. The wettability decreased linearly along the vertical location. The wettability increased with increasing the solution temperature and the solution mass flow rate. The experimental correlations of the wettability for the bare and the micro-hatched tubes were developed with error bands of$\pm20%\;and\;\pm10%$, respectively. This work can be used in the design of absorbers with micro-scale roughness.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.570-578
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• 1999

An experimental study has been performed on heat and mass transfer in a falling film absorber with a strong lithium bromide solution in small-sized household absorption chiller/heater. Components were concentrically arranged in a cylindrical form. from the center, low temperature generator, absorber and evaporator. This arrangement of helical-typed heat exchangers allows to make the machine much more compact than conventional one. Experimental measurements were conducted with a helical absorber and the obtained data were compared with data in the literatures. The comparison revealed that the helical absorber tube provides a similar performance to existing tube bundle absorber in heat and mass transfer. As a result, the heat and mass transfer characteristics of helical type absorber showed the possibility of the reduction in size and weight of small] capacity absorption chiller/heater.

• International Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.158-166
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• 2005

The present study investigated experimentally and numerically the enhancement of absorption performance due to the waviness of falling film in the vertical absorber tube. The momentum, energy and mass diffusion equations were utilized to find out temperature and concentration profiles at both the interfaces of liquid solution and refrigerant vapor and the wall. Flow visualization was performed to find out the wetting characteristics of the falling film. The maximum heat transfer coefficient was obtained for the wavy flow using spring as an insert device through both numerical and experimental studies. Based on the numerical and experimental results, the maximum absorption rate was found for the wavy-flow using spring as the insert device. The differences between experimental and analytical results ranged from $5.0\;to\;25\%\;when\;Re_j>100$.